We had gotten through what we knew was going to be the hardest part of our new normal...telling the kids.  Thankfully they were great.  I am not going to lie...our home life is different now.  There is this invisible tension, perhaps more accurately, anxiousness, or heightened emotion than normal.  Supposedly, this "state of being" actually … Continue reading 14th Post Hitting the Bottle →

We are exhausted after putting the kids to sleep. They asked if they could sleep in our room. Of course, after hearing this kind of news, who would be surprised...they want to be close to us. So we take Sally's trundle bed mattress and Will's top bunk mattress and drag them into our room. This … Continue reading 13th Post. Little Stinker →

We plan on picking our kids up from school, but asked a friend to watch them on the playground for a bit once they were dismissed as we had sent an email to our kids teachers (who were amazing) asking to speak with them right after school, in private, and that it was very important. … Continue reading 12th Post. Two bells are better than one! →

Tuesday, March 20, 2018 I am officially exhausted and genuinely feel like my brain is going to explode.  I now understand why people use sites like Caring Bridge.  The communication is so important.  You want to be so thoughtful and thorough and you want to make sure that people hear it from you.  But there … Continue reading 11th Post. I got this…I know how this is going to go down →

Remember watching those telethons when we were younger.  There were two or three rows of people with headsets on and they were manning phones waiting for them to ring to take donations from viewers all over the country who had been watching a program and needed support? That is what the scene looked like at … Continue reading 10th Post. Brain Tumor Telethon →

When I called Maureen and told her, I have to say, she was pretty inarticulate. That is saying a lot.  She is a trained litigator, she is a judge, she speaks at conferences...she is super articulate. She also is tough as nails.  However, when I told her, I just can't describe it.  She was in … Continue reading 9th Post. Nana always said “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere!” →

We walked into my neurosurgeons office and there was a woman sitting there with him.  He introduced us and she was smiling and kind and looked very sympathetic (to me).  She was lovely. My surgeon was SO young.  I mean, I know how old Christy's sister is, and that they were Chief Fellows back to … Continue reading 8th Post. You Can’t get a man to Everest, so Everest comes to you. →

My husband, along with another rockstar friend, who also happens to be a doctor, a pathologist at U of W, were planning on hiking to basecamp at Everest with a group of about 16.  That is 17,600 ft in the air.  From there, the group was going to shrink to about 6-8 (half were friends … Continue reading 7th Post. Did I tell you my husband was leaving for Everest in a week? →

I was in the car, in the same supermarket parking lot when I called my husband.  Thinking it was going to be our typical quick check in "how's your day going" call he said "hey...what's up?" There was silence on the phone...and all of a sudden it hit me.  Our life was about to change … Continue reading 6th Post. Hey honey are you free to talk? →

This is when I really know just how lucky I am.  This isn't about my family it is about my friends.  This is the one time I will mention names....despite everyone who knows me and knows my full story already know this.  Caren, Kristin, Christy.....the CKC Superheros of my life. My friend Caren (born and … Continue reading 5th Post. Super friends to the rescue! →